Mixology Monday: The Flipped Manhattan

I have not participated in Mixology Monday because I am not that much of a mixologist. I am still learning the craft, so I tend to follow recipes instead of making up my own. This time, I decided to join the fray.

It’s sponsored by Putney Farm, a blog that specializes in food and cocktails, even incorporating all members of the family, which is awesome. I can’t wait until my kids get into cocktails. Well, maybe I can wait. But food, by all means!

The challenge this Monday is inversion, to flip some cocktail on its head. There are lots of ways to do this, as Putney Farm points out. I decided to go for a classic cocktail and invert or flip the proportions.

Ta da! The Flipped Manhattan. To make one, combine with ice:

1 1/2 oz sweet vermouth

3/4 oz Angostura bitters

3/4 oz high proof rye or bourbon whiskey

Stir well, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Then garnish with a cherry, preferably a homemade bourbon one.

The result is a sweet vermouth drink with lots of spiciness balanced by the high proof whiskey. If you don’t like sweet vermouth, you won’t like this version of the Manhattan, but for those of us who use a lot of sweet vermouth in our Manhattans, it works well. Just increase the bitters to the maximum, and you have a drink to impress your Manhattan or whiskey loving friends.